Metroid Legacies
by EvilFuzzy9
Summary: This story is a musing upon the identity of Naruto's mother. Naruto had nothing to his name. However, family on his mother's side intend to change that. The hatchling's hatchling will revive the Chozo!
1. Prologue

**Metroid Legacies**

**Prologue**

The klaxon alarm filled her head with sharp pains.

Sparks from damaged wires illuminated the otherwise dark cockpit of her ship.

She felt the warm blood on her chest. She heard her heart beat. Each dull thud poured out more of her blood.

Her consciousness was fading. She was going to die.

Just before she passed out, she felt two arms wrap around her body.

'_Oh well_,' She thought, '_I guess I failed… Please forgive me, Old Bird…_'

* * *

"Arashi, what can you tell me about this girl?" Asked the nurse.

Arashi looked over his shoulder at the nurse. She was holding a clipboard and a pen.

"I don't know anything," He replied somberly, "I found her inside some sort of metal capsule. The only other thing there looked like some sort of body armor. The technicians are examining it as we speak."

Arashi walked out of the room; the comatose body of the girl he had found being too depressing for him. He passed Tsunade on his way out the door of the hospital and they exchanged formal greetings.

Everywhere in the village it was a jubilant affair. Citizen and ninja alike were celebrating the surrender of Iwa. Hardened veterans were telling war stories to their children, grandchildren, and anyone who would listen. Young couples were everywhere you looked, locked in tearful embraces or otherwise celebrating their love. Academy students were running amok and genin were mooching sake off of their chuckling team leaders.

Orochimaru and Jiraiya were celebrating with a competition to see who could woo the most girls in one night. Orochimaru had managed to beguile a couple of ladies with his cool demeanor, but Jiraiya's loud, exuberant personality had attracted a good-sized harem of women whom he entertained with exaggerated narrations of his feats as a living legend.

Jiraiya looked over and noticed Arashi. "Well, if it isn't my pride and joy as a teacher! Come on over boy!" He yelled. "I taught him most of what he knows! Yup, he's my student," He bragged to the women while he ruffled Arashi's hair with one hand, "He's so well taught, in fact, that he is one of the prime candidates for fourth Hokage!" He declared.

Orochimaru slid up behind Jiraiya, causing him to let out a startled yell. "Don't do that! You know it freaks me out!"

Orochimaru made a placating hand gesture. "Sorry Jiraiya, I just wanted to remind you that I am the favored candidate." He said.

"Yesh. Becaushe you guysh are the only people shtoopid enuff to run. _Hiccup!_"

Jiraiya and Orochimaru did a double take. "Tsunade!" They cried.

"You're drunk!" Accused Jiraiya.

"Yes," Agreed Orochimaru, "And aren't there patients who need your expertise?"

"Yesh," Tsunade slurred, "But they're be – bet – not broke no more. _Hic!_"

"Even the woman I found?" Arashi asked hopefully.

Tsunade looked him right in the eyes. "Yes. _Especially_ her." She said knowingly

Arashi narrowed his eyes. "I thought you were drunk," He whispered in an accusatory tone.

Tsunade smirked. "I'm not called the greatest medic ever for nothing, kid."

As she walked off with her teammates and their respective harems, Arashi fell into deep thought.

* * *

Footsteps echoed throughout the metallic halls as grunts rushed to prepare for landing in the clearing in the forest below.

His crimson eyes shone with eagerness.

A hideous laughter reverberated in the hull of the massive ship.

He schemed and plotted, meditating on how he could best eliminate that pesky upstart.

'_Samus Aran… I am going to finish what I started. I will destroy you!_'

"Master Ridley! Mother brain requests assistance." A golden armored pirate informed him.

Ridley looked at the pirate. He then sighed in defeat and commanded, "Set course for Zebes!"

As the planet they were previously approached disappeared in the distance, Ridley began to contemplate. _'You were lucky this time, child. But I swear that I will return and destroy all that you hold dear_!'


	2. The Greatest Love of All: Fourth Hokage'

**The Greatest Love of All: Fourth Hokage's Sacrifice!**

**Two years after prologue**

The recently appointed Fourth Hokage gazed lovingly at the village from his vantage point upon the carved head of his predecessor. He sighed and began the hike back to the tower where his new office was.

It seemed so long ago now, when he first met his wife. '_Samus,'_ he thought, '_I hope our child is as fearless as her…_' For Samus was, indeed, seemingly without fear. Not even marriage had intimidated her. Nor did being nine months pregnant do anything to her nerves. '_It is as though her resolve is hewn from stone._'

Arashi was woken from his contemplation when the guards in front of the tower greeted him. He nodded toward them in recognition and cordially greeted both, as though they were guests at a get together he was hosting.

Right as he crossed the threshold of the door, his secretary thrust a hefty stack of neglected paperwork into his arms. Before he could say hello she had disappeared.

'_What was that?_' Now shifting his weight to better carry the papers, Arashi meant to bring them to his office, but before he could do so, his secretary reappeared with what looked like a memo.

"This is a signed petition demanding casual Fridays for the ANBU," She said cheerfully.

Sadly, this was not an unusual occurrence. It was sort of a tradition for some group or another to start a petition every year. The year before, for instance, the schoolteachers demanded that corporal punishment be reinstated. Which on the surface was completely reasonable, but they also included a subsection in the petition that would allow them to take a leave of absence without any forewarning. Which meant that the teacher would personally get to appoint a substitute. This idea wasn't popular with the council, and the Third vetoed it to avoid a pointless fiasco.

Arashi sighed and added the petition to his pile of papers, before thanking his secretary and heading up the stairs to his office.

* * *

Tsunade calmly wheeled Samus into the special waiting room. Since Samus was due any day now, she had been put under strict supervision to discourage any would-be assassins.

The only other people in the special ward were a team of medic-nin, four ANBU, and Shizune.

As the minutes ticked by, the residents of this room were all overcome with a sense of ill foreboding.

* * *

As the sun began to set on the horizon, a terrible sound echoed throughout the earth.

Sentinels posted in watchtowers along the northwest side of the village wall saw smoke several lights shooting upward through the night sky, three hundred leagues away. This was followed by an immense cloud of ash erupting in the wake of the lights, which soon blotted out the heavens.

The first person to snap out of the stupor caused by this sight was the former Third Hokage, who had volunteered for lookout duty that day. He ordered the other lookout positioned with him to bring word of imminent danger to the Fourth Hokage.

Turning his focus inward, Sarutobi began preparing for the worst.

* * *

Arashi had finished most of his paperwork, and was looking over one last form, which appeared to be very important.

"Lord Hokage! Emergency!" Exclaimed a jounin who had just burst into the office, "There was an explosion to the northwest! We have a reason to believe that hostile forces may be preparing to launch an attack!"

Arashi raised an eyebrow, "How do you figure this?"

Just that moment, an explosion rocked the building. The air was filled with cries of terror.

"What on earth?"

"We're under attack!"

"But by what?"

"Surely something not of this world!"

Arashi turned his attention to the man who had brought him the news. "Prepare for battle." He said solemnly.

* * *

Shizune turned to her mentor as another explosion rocked the operating room. Tsunade met her gaze and nodded. "You stay here and supervise the proceedings, and I will assist with defending the village." And on that note, Tsunade ran to battle.

* * *

Fifty meters from the northwest wall, a massive beast was sizing up his target. The Leaf village had quickly gathered an impressive number of warriors to face him. He inwardly grinned. '_A futile effort at best._'

Kyuubi bared his fangs and growled. The troops stumbled as the minor quake shook the ground beneath them. Unable to hold back his bloodlust any further Kyuubi leaped into the ranks with his claws outstretched.

The shinobi scattered before Kyuubi hit the ground. They then began to bombard Kyuubi with thrown weapons of every sort.

The monstrous fox barely flinched under the assault, and retaliated with a fireball that brought the village walls to the ground. The rubble buried a fifth of the forces.

* * *

Sarutobi had just finished setting up what appeared to be an altar, when Arashi appeared. "What is this?" the young man asked him.

The old man looked his successor in the eyes. "This," He said pointing to the altar, "Is our key to defeating Kyuubi. The _Dead Demon Sealing Technique_."

Arashi stared at his elder in shock. "Is – Is it the only way? Surely, we needn't resort to _that_!" He placed his hands on Sarutobi's shoulders. "If there is any other way, tell me now!" He said desperately.

Sarutobi grasped Arashi's arms and put them at his sides. "It is the only way. This fox is otherwise unstoppable. It _must_ be sealed into a host," He said grimly.

Arashi turned his back to the former Hokage. "Then at least let it be me," He said.

"No. I will not let you go to your death. Not like this," Sarutobi said tearfully, "Not when you have so many years ahead of you."

Arashi was starting to give in to Sarutobi when he realized something. "You intend to seal the fox – But into what?"

"Your child…"

Arashi was stunned. "You intend to seal the fox into a newborn?"

"Anything else would be torn apart," Sarutobi said matter-of-factly.

"Then let it be me who makes my son a human sacrifice."

"… Fine, but you should head to your wife now. Get the child as soon as possible, and I will bring the fox!" He said with bravado.

Arashi gave a halfhearted grin, "And may we have the good fortune to meet again at the end, my friend."

And with a hug and a clap on the back, the two friends parted ways forever.

* * *

And so Arashi convinced his wife to let their child become the cage of the nine-tailed fox.

He rode upon the toad chief Gamabunta, to his final battle, carrying with him his newborn son – Naruto Uzumaki of the Chojin-Zoku. He will be the final legacy of a hero.

* * *


	3. The Uzumaki's in a Nutshell: Part One

**The Uzumaki's in a Nutshell: Part One**

**Four Years Later**

"Mommy, mommy! Wook what I made!" Declared a short, blonde boy.

"What did you make, Naruto?" Asked a computerized voice.

"Uncoo Adam? Whe'we is mommy?" The child asked.

"Miss Samus is currently on a mission, Naruto," Adam replied.

Naruto's eyes lit up. "Ooh! What is it? What is it? What is it?" Naruto jumped up and down repeating the question over and over until he fell on his bottom in exhaustion.

"I am sorry. My programming does not allow me to answer your query at this time. Please try again later, sir or madame," Adam droned artificially.

Naruto narrowed his eyes into an adorable glare. "Ha ha, vewy funny, Uncoo. I'w just pway wiff Dach-dach, den,"

Naruto turned to his left and made to go through a large metal door, but a computer screen slid out from the wall, halting his progress.

"I apologize, Naruto, but your mother made it clear that she had arranged a playdate with for you with young master Sasuke Uchiha."

Naruto's jaw dropped. "What?-! But mommy knows dat I hate dat bastood!" Naruto exclaimed.

The paper-thin monitor slid into the wall. "I am sorry, Naruto, but I am afraid that Lord Fugaku is on his way as we speak."

"Oh yeah? Weh... He can't pick me up if I'm not he'we!" Naruto yelled. But before he could make a run for it, the door opened and Sasuke's father scooped Naruto up into his arms.

* * *

"Wanna play ninja?"

"No."

"How about tag?

"No."

"... Do the Hokey Pokey?"

"Nevah!"

"Do you want to do anything?"

"No. ... Bastood."

Sasuke gasped. "You said a bad word!"

Naruto glared at him. "So what, bastood?"

Sasuke glared right back. "... I'm telling!" He yelled.

Sasuke started running down the hallway leading to the kitchen. But then before he was even half there, Naruto tackled him.

"Gerroff me!" Sasuke shouted.

"Fine, bastood," Naruto said.

Sasuke poked Naruto's belly. "Sheesh, you gotta weigh a bajillion pounds or something!"

"What awe you talking 'bout, chubby?" Naruto sneered.

"That doesn't even make sense!"

"I'm wubboo, you'we goo!"

"Dead last!"

"Bastood!"

And this set the tone for their relationship for the next nine years.

* * *

**I'm sorry for taking so long to update, but my computer was being an absolute piece of junk. I know that this isn't much of an update, but I wanted people to know that I haven't abandoned this, not when I have been receiving so much positive feedback.**

**This chapter is mostly a glimpse into Naruto's family life. Adam is a surrogate uncle, Samus is often away perfoming secret missions for the Hokage, and he despises Sasuke. Also, the etecoons and dachoras are kept in a special habitation and Naruto sees them like Kiba sees Akamaru. **

**The story will likely get more in depth in a few chapters, after I cover the differences between the AU and the canon. **

**TTFN!**


	4. The Uzumaki's in a Nutshell: Part Two

**The Uzumaki's in a Nutshell: Part Two**

A pink haired girl was crying. A young boy was curious as to why this girl was crying, so he went up to to her.

"Hey, why awe you cwying?" The boy inquired.

The little girl stopped crying and looked the boy. Her cheeks were wet and nose was running. She mumbled an incoherent response, and the boy asked what she had said.

"I said that bullies were teasing me about my forehead," She said.

The boy squinted his eyes and poked the girl's forehead.

"Hey!" She exclaimed before hugging her legs to herself and averting her gaze.

"I tink you have a vewy pwetty fo'ehead," The boy said truthfully. "What do dose buwwies know about fo'eheads, anyways? I bet dewe just je-jeal-_jealous_ of you pwettiness!" The boy exclaimed, proud of himself for getting the word right.

The girl blushed, she had never been complimented by a boy before. "Thank you... Uh, what is your name?"

The boy's grin widened. "I am Nawuto Awan-Uzumaki! And I'm gunna be Hokage one day!" The blond boy proclaimed unto the entire playground, earning glares from the people whose eardrums he had just ruptured.

The little girl giggled. "Okay, thank you Naruto," She said, giving him a big hug.

However, a young blonde girl tackled Naruto out of the girls embrace. "Run away, Sakura, before he eats you!" She yelled.

Sakura looked at the girl, confused. "What are you talking about, Ino?" She asked.

"Just go!" The girl called Ino yelled.

Sakura nodded, and took one last look at the unfortunate boy before running as fast as her four year old legs could take her.

* * *

Naruto finally broke free from Ino's headlock, and started running after Sakura, but he was soon knocked over by a punch from a boy twice his age. Naruto saw the delinquent draw his leg back to kick him. Naruto braced himself, but when he didn't feel anything, he opened his eyes to see a blue haired girl holding the bully's foot back.

"Don't be mean, this park is for everyone," The girl said calmly.

Naruto was astonished. That girl didn't look like she could be any older than him, and yet she was able to do something like that!

The bully narrowed his eyes. "Stupid girl!" He yelled as he brought his fist up to punch the girl...

But the punch never came.

"Who do you think you are, attacking lady Hinata?" Asked a boy with long brown hair.

The bully noticed his arm hanging limply at his side. "What the hell did you do?" He snarled.

The boy narrowed his eyes. "I simply performed my duty." He said. "Now if you don't mind, we must be going."

Naruto stared at the retreating pair in awe.

The bully looked from his arm to Naruto. "You got lucky, but don't expect it to happen again," He threatened before he turned his back to walk away. But he was stopped by a strange feeling in his back, unlike anything he had ever felt before.

"What... The... Hell...?"

It was almost dark, and the park was empty except for Naruto and the boy.

And a few moments later, Naruto was the only one...

* * *

The Third Hokage looked at the disturbing sight before him. It was dawn in the park, and an ANBU captain had barged into his office, insisting that it was of the utmost urgency.

And from the looks of things, that's just what it was.

On the grass at Sarutobi's feet, were the crumbling remains of a nine year old boy.

"Have you alerted the boy's parents?" He asked the ANBU captain.

The ANBU captain nodded. "Affirmative,"

The aged leader sighed. He had an idea what happened, and he hoped to God that he was wrong.

Reluctantly, Sarutobi ordered the masked man to bring Samus Aran to his office.

* * *

**Well, here is the long awaited next chapter. Once again, it is short, but I managed to give you guys a** **glimpse of some more of the characters. You will no doubt have noticed that the biggest difference in character is Hinata. In this story, Samus's participation in missions and battles was significant enough to dissuade the Cloud Ninja from violating** **the treaty. So Hizashi never died, and Neji never grew to hate Hinata, and thus, he worked to help Hinata with her confidence issues. So, while Neji is still far stronger, and Hinata still dislikes fighting, their relationship is much less strained.**

**I hope I did a good job at adding some suspense and intrigue to the story... Ah well, I hope you enjoyed this installment of 'Metroid Legacies'. See you next time! ... And I'll try to update more frequently. **

**TTFN!**


	5. The Uzumaki's in a Nutshell: Part Three

**The Uzumakis in a Nutshell: Part Three**

It was a peaceful day; the sun was shining warmly and the only clouds in the sky were white and fluffy. The kind of day that causes school children to stare longingly out the window when they should be focusing on their lesson.

Unless, of course, that child was Shino Aburame.

Dressed in a miniature trenchcoat with tiny sunglasses, Shino was absolutely adorable. But you wouldn't be able to tell, hidden in the shadows as he was.

But regardless of how cute he looked, the young master Shino was too busy throwing kunai into the center of the bullseyes, carved into the various trees that obscured the boy and his father, to care.

Turning to his exhausted mini-me, Shibi told him, "That is enough weapons practice for now, Shino. We should have lunch, and then we shall resume yesterday's lesson on insect biology."

"Of course, father," The boy said.

But, before either of them could make a move to leave, a member of the ANBU flickered into view and adressed Shibi, "Greetings, Mr. Aburame. Have you seen Ms. Aran recently? Lord Hokage wishes to speak with her."

The bug tamer shook his head, "I regret to inform that I do not currently have any pertinent information about that. Perhaps at a later time, then?"

"But of course, Sir," The masked ninja said, "I do hope that we may talk to one another at a later time."

Shibi bowed, "I share your sentiments," He stated plainly.

The man was about to leave when he felt something pull on his pants.

"Mistah, why awe you wooking foah Auntie Awan?" Shino asked cutely.

"I am simply carrying out my orders," The ANBU informed him.

Shino's eyes sparkled behind his sunglasses. "Wow! Dat's so coo'! I wanna be a mask person when I gwow up!" He exclaimed adoringly.

"... Thank you," The masked man said, scratching the back of his head in an abashed manner.

"Bye bye mistah!" Shino chirped as the man disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

* * *

"Hey sis, what are you doing with Itachi? Are you two snogging?" A mischevious  
Kiba said, smirking.

"Twerp! You don't even know what that means!" An irate Hana roared.

"Sure I do! It means holding hands!"

"Twerp!"

"Bitch!"

"I'm gonna kill you!"

Itachi stepped in between the two. "Hana? When can we get back to screwing like rabbits? I can't keep it up forever, you know."

Hana flushed an angry shade of red. "Pervert!" She cried before beating Itachi into the dirt. "How can you say something like that in front of my little brother? You'll corrupt his innocent mind!"

"Too late for that, sis,"

"Shut the hell up, Kiba!" Hana snapped.

"Yes'm," Kiba squeaked.

"As for you, Itachi, no. I haven't seen Ms. Aran. Now get the hell off my property before I sic the triplets on you!"

Itachi put his hands up nervously. "Now, now, no need to get violent..."

Hana cracked her knuckles.

"Okay! See you another time, then!" Itachi said nervously before being enveloped in a cloud of smoke.

"Bloody arse..." Hana growled.

* * *

Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza stared at Kakashi.

Kakashi stared at Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza.

Chouza reached for his potato chips, only to have his hand slapped away by Inoichi.

Kakashi reaced for 'Make Out Paradise', only to have Shikaku glare at him.

Four year-old Shikamaru broke the silence with a loud yawn. "Man, you old guys are real drag."

Kakashi, Inoichi, Shikaku, and Chouza snapped at Shikamaru. "We're not old!"

"Whatever, let's just get this over with. Official ANBU business is a pain," Shikamaru drawled.

"Ah, right. Have any of you seen Samus recently?" Kakashi asked.

Inoichi shook his head. "Not in a while."

Shikaku shrugged. "I haven't seen her either."

Chouza smiled. "I know where she is!"

"Well?" Kakashi prompted.

"She's at her house. Or she's training. Or she might be on a mission..." Chouza said.

The others sweat dropped.

"This is going nowhere fast..." Shikamaru mused.

* * *

Naruto was punching a log while a figure in a traveling cloak observed him, occasionally giving the boy advice.

"Your punches are too wild, you need more form."

"Your kicking is too uniform, you need more variety."

"Try to refrain from headbutting the log."

And so forth, until Naruto finally collapsed from exhausition.

"Good, your physical conditioning is coming along smoothly. But you need to work on threat-assessment and evasive maneuvers." The cloaked figure critiqued.

"Whatevah... Old Bood," Naruto panted.

"And your oratory skills are positively atrocious," 'Old Bird' added.

At that moment, ANBU came through the door and restrained Naruto.

"Ahh! What da he'?-!" Naruto screamed.

"Naruto Aran-Uzumaki," The ANBU captain said, "You are wanting for questioning concerning the death of a civilian"

Naruto's eyes widened and he stopped struggling. "Oh," He said sadly.

And on that note, he resigned himself to face the punishment for what he did...

* * *

**Well, here's the next chapter. I hope that this cliffhanger is more dramatic then I think it is... Tell me what you think!**

**TTFN! **


	6. Nothing to do With Iruka

**The Uzumaki's in a Nutshell: Part- Ow!! (Gets pelted with garbage)**

**Fine. ...**_**Jerks...**_** (Clicking of keyboard keys)**

**How Iruka Got his Groove Back **

**A.K.A.**

**Nothing to do With Iruka**

**

* * *

  
**

_Anger._

_He was angry._

_He couldn't see._

_It was dark._

_Everything flashed red for a moment, then it was dark again. _

_Oh, how he loathed the dark._

_

* * *

  
_

"Waah!" Naruto yelped upon waking up. "That was one crazy dream! ... But it gives me an idea..."

After checking to make sure he wouldn't be interrupted, Naruto retrieved the dirty magazines he'd filched on a dare from Kiba.

"Heh, considering what this kind of stuff does to Iruka-sensei... It would make the ultimate ninjustu!" He reasoned, with a mischievous grin forming.

* * *

After twenty minutes of practicing, Naruto almost had the technique down pat. '_Now to show mom,' _he thought.

* * *

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Samus groaned. It was too early in the morning to be dealing with her son.

_'Maybe if I don't answer, he'll give up,' _she hoped.

Knock! Knock- KLICK-AT!

She sat bolt upright. She knew that noise, knew it all too well. It was the firing sound of an old PZ-27 laser rifle. The last true laser weapon ever designed by the Galactic Federation. Even as she activated her powersuit's emergency equip function, the gun's stats were running through her mind.

_'First designed well over a hundred anno cycles ago, the PZ line of weaponry was the first -and last- attempt at constructing true laser weapons. While they were highly accurate, and the fired beams were soundless and invisible, the guns themselves cumbersome and prone to malfunctioning, and the problems only increased with each new version, culminating with the infamous Twenty-Seven Disaster. This led to the Galactic Senate banning all PZ rifles within the Galactic Federation.'_

Only a Space Pirate would be willing to use one.

As her powersuit finished equipping itself, Samus prepared to find/interrogate/kill the intruder, she hoped that Naruto was okay.

With her arm cannon cocked and ready, Samus kicked down her bedroom door, only to be confronted with a terrible sight.

Space Pirate remains all over walls.

Naruto had gone metroid again.

* * *

**Well, it's my first real update of this story in fricken ages. I apologize for the shortness of it, but I had to strike while the iron was hot. It's sunday afternoon, February first and... Wait-a-minute! It's Groundhog Day! Well, dagummit, I'll see what I can whip up for y'all!**

**TTFN! **


	7. Life Cycle: Part One

**Life Cycle (Part One)**

* * *

Jiraiya was asleep. … Well, to be accurate, he was lying in an alley in a crumpled heap, having passed out from excessive alcohol consumption the night before. In fact, alcohol was the very reason that Jiraiya was in the alley as opposed to one of any number of infinitely more comfortable alternative accommodations.

Namely, the perverted hermit was lying in the alleyway because he had been thrown out of the 'Kinky Kunoichi Kingdom' (his favorite brothel in the Land of Fire, and the only reason he bothered to visit the town where it was located). He was thrown out of the brothel for smuggling in a canteen of vintage Grass Country whiskey. He had smuggled in the whiskey because he was depressed and couldn't go to a bar (he couldn't go to a bar because he had been barred from every establishment within a fifty-mile radius of Konoha, and drinking alone would just be plain _sad_). And he was depressed because of the message he had received from his former teacher a week ago. It consisted of a single sentence:

_ 'There are maggots in the fishcakes.'_

Now, to most people it would have seemed like little more than gibberish. But not to Jiraiya. No, he could instantly tell what the message meant:

_ "Naruto's seal has failed."_

… And he was terrified. That seal was the only thing keeping Naruto from devolving into a mindless beast bent on destruction. It was the only thing holding back his Metroid blood.

As for why Jiraiya had gone drinking instead of riding into Konoha as fast as possible? ... Well...

* * *

_Seven years ago, in the office of the Third Hokage:_

Jiraiya tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his former teacher to show up, his wooden sandals making a distinctive clicking noise as he did so. The sixty year old Homura Mitokado glowered at Jiraiya, the light glinting off of his glasses giving him a particularly intimidating air.

Jiraiya shuddered involuntarily, which caused Homura's partner and fellow council member, Koharu Utatane, to lazily open one of her eyes for the sole purpose of looking down on the poor fellow disapprovingly.

Jiraiya groaned inwardly. He knew it was silly, but the two council members were, to him, two of the most terrifying people in existence. The fact that they were former teammates of the strongest Hokage in history (though whenever someone brought that factoid up, he was always quick to point out that Minato, had he not died, would have doubtlessly gone on to surpass all of his predecessors), that they had trained directly under the Second and indirectly under the First through Hiruzen, and that they had hated Jiraiya's guts ever since he had walked in on them doing the horizontal tango when he was a new Genin, only served to deepen his fear of them.

In fact, there was only one person in the entire world that Jiraiya feared more than these two.

"Hello, Jiraiya," came the voice of that very person.

_'No... It can't be...'_ The toad sage thought, paralyzed with dread, _'The old man would never set me up like this...'_ Praying desperately to whatever deity might smile on him, Jiraiya slowly turned around to face the person behind him...

_'… Oh, it's only Orochimaru,'_ Jiraiya thought in relief at the sight of the scheming snow-white-skinned serpent summoner. _'For a moment there, I was actually worried.'_

"I'm over here, you perverted toad," stated a disheveled Tsunade, five feet to the left of Orochimaru.

"Eeek!" Jiraiya screeched in terror, hiding behind the two wizened councilors. "Save me from that horrible woman!"

Homura looked to his cunning kunoichi cohort with an evil smirk, which Koharu gladly reciprocated.

Working as one, and moving before Jiraiya could react, the two senior citizens threw the white-haired ninja at his buxom, snarling former-teammate. Pleased, they sat back down to watch the chaos unfold.

"Aiieeeh! That doesn't belong there!" Jiraiya howled in agony as a certain body part was forcefully inserted into a particular orifice.

"I know," Tsunade said frankly, continuing to abuse the cowardly old pervert.

"My goodneth," Orochimaru lisped, "I had no idea you two were tho... clothe," he said with a grimace. Though, from the looks of it, he was going for a friendly smile, but there's only so much one can do when one's entire body is covered in paralyzing curse-seals.

Jiraiya did a double-take. He stared at his traitorous former-comrade for several minutes, until the shock wore off enough for him to speak. "_Holyshitwhatthefuck'?-!_" Jiraiya freaked out before frantically assuming a fighting stance and producing a rasengan in each hand. He then leaped forward, deciding to blow the traitorous snake to pieces firstask questions never.

Except that, before the dual vertiginous spheres of chakra could make contact, they were redirected by none other than the Third Hokage Hiruzen Sarutobi and Danzō Shimura, head of the technically-disbanded-but-not-really-because-nobody-could-prove-that-it-actually-ever-existed ANBU "Root" organization (also known as "The Foundation"), working together. It was at that moment that Jiraiya's brain shut down.

* * *

It was funny, really. There he was, ready to kill Orochimaru once and for all, only to be stopped _again_. Did the Universe really want the serpentine bastard alive that badly? Or was he simply that unlucky? Of course, it might not have been so much _funny_, per say, but rather just so weird that Jiraiya's mind simply refused to try and make sense of it, leaving him with the strange desire to giggle uncontrollably. So he did.

This, incidentally, led him to wake up just in time to dodge a Heaven's Kick of Pain to the groin from Tsunade. The attack, with nowhere else to go, struck the floor, shaking the Hokage Tower to its foundations and completely obliterating the hardwood flooring. "What the hell, Tsunade?-!" Jiraiya exclaimed in horror.

The legendary medic ignored Jiraiya's outburst. "Good," she said calmly, "You're up."

"Up!" Jiraiya shouted in disbelief, chuckling nervously, "I'm lucky to be alive. I've seen you cleanly bisect enemies with that kick! What the hell were you thinking, using it on me!-?"

"You were giggling," Tsunade deadpanned, "I figured you were thinking something perverted, so I decided to wake you up."

"By killing me?"

Tsunade rolled her eyes. "I was sure you'd dodge it, and you did."

"Would you have bet on it?" Jiraiya asked.

"Huh?"

"Would you have bet that I would dodge your kick?" he clarified, "While unconscious?"

"Yeah, sure."

Jiraiya nodded calmly at this, before exploding again, "_What the hell were you thinking?-!_" he reiterated furiously.

"That is enough, boy," Danzō growled impatiently at Jiraiya. He then turned to Tsunade and Orochimaru, "Princess," he began, "as I am sure he has said, Hiruzen needs your medical expertise."

Tsunade nodded lazily, "Yeah, yeah, he already told me."

"And you, Orochimaru," Danzō continued, "you are perhaps the only Konoha ninja with the... _experience_ to deal with this problem, which is why Lord Hokage ordered me to find you and bring you back to the village."

Orochimaru simply glared at his teacher's long-time rival, "Thcrew you, Danthō," he hissed as well as he could.

Sarutobi rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Danzō, would you please remove the seal on his tongue? After all, I never imagined you to be the sort of person who would make such crass jokes."

Jiraiya and Tsunade snickered at this, while Danzō grumbled mutinously about how some people had no sense of humor, and Orochimaru simply looked at the Third Hokage confusedly. "... I don't get it."

Sarutobi waved his hand side-to-side in a dismissive fashion. "Don't worry about it," he said before turning to Danzō. "Would you mind explaining things to them?"

"… fine," Danzō grumbled mutinously, releasing the seal on Orochimaru's tongue before producing a small summoning scroll from some unseen pocket. "Here is our problem:" Danzō broke the seal on the scroll, then crushed a blood capsule before tracing a straight line in blood on the parchment as he unrolled it. '_Inverted summoning jutsu.'_

_

* * *

_

In a large puff of smoke, the Hokage's office vanished to be replaced with a large, dimly lit room. It seemed to be a laboratory of some sort, as there were test tubes and papers black with virtually illegible notes covering the desks that cluttered the area. In the center of the room was a large pillar completely covered in paper seals.

"Whoah…" Jiraiya muttered, "This place is a mess. And look at those seals! There have only been a handful of individuals in all of history with the skill to produce _fŭin _of such high caliber… I can count on one hand the number of things in existence that would require the use of this many seals of such high level in such a high concentration," he grimaced, "and none of those things are pleasant."

"What about these papers… what do these formulas mean?" Tsunade puzzled as she investigated the notes. "The terminology used would suggest that this is some kind of medical research, but this is a level beyond anything I know – I can barely make heads or tails of it."

Jiraiya stared at Tsunade in shock before letting out a long whistle. "Man, I never thought I'd see the day: Tsunade stumped about something pertaining to medicine!" he turned to face his sensei. "Where in Hell did you get the kind of unholy super-genius able to do that, and how many innocent, virgin souls did you have to sacrifice to the Devil to seal your demonic pact?"

Hiruzen rolled his eyes. "Now is not the time for making jokes, Jiraiya."

Jiraiya shook his head. "No. Under any other circumstances, that would be a joke. But here and now? I'm dead serious. I mean, the seals alone… pretty much the only things that would warrant this kind of security are all at least partly demonic in origin, save one."

"And the one exception…?"

"God."

Sarutobi sighed. "Can't you be serious for one second?"

"I am serious! You have enough raw sealing power attached to that pillar to theoretically seal away even an omnipotent entity for a decent length of time! … well, maybe two or three seconds, but that's still an absurd amount of seal strength. Way more than any conventional situation would warrant."

"Okay, Jiraiya, now why on earth would I want to seal up _God_?"

The white-haired hermit shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not the one making pacts with demons."

Sarutobi resisted the urge to tear out his hair in frustration – he only had so much left, after all.

"Please, Jiraiya, Sarutobi-sensei is far too soft to actually do something like that. Not even for the good of the village…" he said with a hint of amusement.

"Remember what they say about serpents and forked tongues, my wayward pupil," Sarutobi lectured sternly.

"Kukukukuku~!" Orochimaru chuckled mirthfully. "What closed-minded nonsense! One truth… If there is only one truth, then it is that of power!"

"To think I could have gone so wrong in teaching you... Have you no qualms about sacrificing others for your own personal gain?-!"

Orochimaru snorted. "If you are trying to make me feel guilty, Sarutobi-sensei, then you had best give up. I have no reason to feel guilt, for there is no sin but that of hindering progress!"

"You are a monster."

"Kukukukuku~! And who do you think made me that way?"

"Bah!" interjected Danzō, "Are you two quite done with your dramatic banter? We have important things to do, here."

Hiruzen sighed. "This, Danzō my friend, is why you must always work from the shadows: you have no sense of theatrics!"

Danzō groaned long-sufferingly. "I swear," he muttered to himself, "everyone around me is a complete lunatic."

Orochimaru smirked and walked up to the pillar. "Jiraiya, would you be so kind as to remove these seals?"

Jiraiya looked to his sensei for confirmation. The Third Hokage nodded, and Jiraiya reluctantly began rapidly forming hand-seals. After a few minutes of this, he reached forth with his hands, dramatically exclaiming: "Eleven Disciple Seal Release!"

Without so much as a puff of smoke, the paper seals shriveled away, revealing…

"My God… That's no pillar…! It's a containment tube!" Jiraiya exclaimed in astonishment.

"Just as I thought, this is one of my old labs," Orochimaru stated smugly. "And I do believe I would recognize that hair anywhere…"

"What...?" Tsunade gasped in realization, "The vessel of the Fox?-!"

"Arashi's son!" Jiraiya could not believe what he was seeing. Even at such a young age, the boy was virtually the spitting image of the Toad Sage's late apprentice, with the exception of his hair. "What's wrong with him?" Jiraiya wondered, tapping the glass of the massive cylinder.

Naruto's eyes snapped open, bloody red with slitted pupils, and his skin turned a transparent greenish hue. Opening his mouth far wider than humanly possible, he latched onto the inside of the stasis tube, revealing rows of short needle-like teeth. He appeared to be... _sucking_... on the glass.

"That," Sarutobi answered.

* * *

**A/N: Here, have another chapter of **_**Metroid **_**Legacies. I hope it tides y'all over for a while. Now excuse me while I get back to working on **_**Om Nom Nom, Hamster-chan!**_**.**

**By the way, i****f**** you feel like supporting a poor artist or getting good deals on some games, I am selling some of my old GBA and PSP games on eBay. My handle there is EvilFuzzy912.**

**TTFN and R&R!**


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